


i called your name (till the fever broke)

by dourhorsing (notapieceofcake)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur no longer King (Merlin), BAMF Gwen (Merlin), BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Canon Compliant, F/F, Good Morgana (Merlin), Jealous Morgana (Merlin), Magic, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Queen Gwen (Merlin), Rating might go up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:28:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25023163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notapieceofcake/pseuds/dourhorsing
Summary: gwen is ruling camelot by herself and morgana hopes to help pick up the pieces she had scattered.just as things were falling in place, there seems to be a new challenge brewing. will morgana lose her queen so soon after finding her way back to her?
Relationships: Gwen/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin & Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 21





	i called your name (till the fever broke)

**Author's Note:**

> title from hozier's in the woods somewhere

Life had been different since Arthur renounced his kingship. She wouldn’t say it made her happy that her brother gave up the throne- ruling over Camelot was never her desire, not truly. In fact, even thinking about her crusade the years before Arthur’s descent had her shiver in disgust now.

Anyhow, Guinevere had remained queen, and done a wonderful job of ruling during the tumultuous times that Camelot had been left without a king. Morgana remembered the fear and doubts that had taken hold of the citizens after Arthur had revealed his decision to put down the crown for good, and her lip curled in disdain even now. Gwen had been a generous and kind queen, and she had proven herself to be more than capable of making important decisions that resulted in Camelot’s good even before she had had to start ruling in Arthur’s stead during the long times he had to spend fighting against his sister’s attacks.

Now with her will restored to her, and her anger cooled down, Morgana felt ashamed at having caused such unrest. However, she could not deny that it made her happy to be where she was today. If all the decisions she had made, under the influence of her sister’s magic or not, had led her into the arms of her queen, then Morgana was guilty for yet another thing because she could not begrudge having done those things now. Not when it meant she was reunited with Gwen in a stronger bond than she could have ever hoped possible.

Morgana was pulled out of her invasive thoughts when the silk white drapes were pulled aside from her side of the bed, and there stood Merlin, looking distracted and balancing a tray laden with breakfast on one hand.

“Good morning, my lady,” he greeted her, not yet moving to place the tray at the low table near her bed. Merlin her _brother's_ manservant. Merlin the sorcerer the druids practically worshiped. Merlin who had poisoned her and whom she had held captive and tortured.

She stared for a moment, a strange mixture of wariness and shame tightening her throat.

“Good morning,” she replied, voice coming out almost curt. “Uh, where is Heera?” she asked, throwing a glance over the servant’s shoulder.

Finally coming out of whatever reverie he had been in, Merlin shot her a bright smile- and Morgana wondered once again how he could manage to do that in her presence, as if she hadn't been actively trying to kill him not too long ago, and secretly commended him for his ability to either forgive or simply mask his feelings well- before moving to place the tray on the low table.

“Oh, she was predisposed,” he replied as he finished setting the table before coming to her side to help her into a cozy over-robe.

Knowing what she learned throughout the past years, and knowing the difference between a life of luxury and living on the run, the witch now noticed and was touched by things she wouldn't have thought much of when she had simply lived the life of a spoiled noble. Merlin didn't have to be kind to her- he didn't have to go out of his way to ensure her comfort, especially in private, out of prying eyes of nobles and staff alike. But he continued, eyes polite and hands tender.

Morgana couldn’t help but smile at the gentle attentiveness Merlin exhibited, feeling cared for merely at the way he slipped the robe onto her form, which made her pleasantly warm immediately. And Morgana did tend to suffer from chills easily nowadays. Heera was attentive too, but she was new and young and of the mind that she could tend to her lady better if she followed her own feelings. It was sweet and all in good nature, but the girl would forget to fetch her robe in the extra-chilly mornings; or on other days just didn’t think it was needed, which left Morgana usually feeling cold upon getting out of bed in just her sleeping slip.

“Predisposed with what?” she asked, curiosity peeking now, but careful to not sound too demanding.

Merlin pulled out her chair for her and filled her goblet with cool water before responding. “Gwen was called for some urgent business- she’s been in the council room since she woke up. And she needed Heera to fetch some documents, and then she sent her on a delivery.” He paused, stepping back to let Morgana have her meal. “So Gwen sent me because she felt sorry she had to trouble you by taking Heera away for the day.”

There he went, speaking a mile a minute to complete his answer quickly, like he would be eaten alive if he stopped one syllable short. It was a usually endearing habit, especially to Morgana when she had just become friends with the prince's new errant servant- she'd always thought it gave him the image of an anxious little hamster. However, the raven-haired woman could only feel guilty right now, knowing exactly why he would be wary around her. It wasn't a pleasant feeling to see her once friend frightened of her.

“Thank you Merlin. I really appreciate you taking the time to come tend to me,” she said, her the smile coming easier with the truth in her words.

For a moment, she saw his old dazzling smile appear, and she felt just a bit lighter for it. Morgana hurried through breakfast after that, hoping to not keep him too long form his many other tasks of the day.

xXx

The question was at the tip of her tongue, as it always was when she was with the servant like this.

Said servant was hunched over a large tome, pouring over its contents with the hunger of a starved man, and Morgana felt compelled to return to her own studies. However, with the buzz in the castle, Morgana was exempt from her usual duties and her mind kept wandering to the same topic.

As if having read her mind, Merlin looked up, a half smile curving his lips when their gazes met.

“I can hear you thinking, you know,” he teased. “Less gawping and more reading!”

Ah, yes. Right now, he was fulfilling another one of his duties as court sorcerer and trusted ally of the queen- teaching Morgana to better control the darkness that streaked her magic. That usually consisted of him giving her reading material, having chosen to start from the basics.

“If we take it from the start, it’ll also be easy for us to find the root of whatever darkness is left and remove it completely,” he had said, not ungently, what now seemed like years ago.

When she didn’t respond immediately, Merlin straightened up, fixing her with a quiet stare. “What’s wrong Morgana?”

Evidently, the question had taken root in her mind and would not go away.

“Why do you still choose to be a servant, Merlin?” she blurted out. At his raised eyebrow- he was starting to remind her of Gaius whenever he did that- she cleared her throat. “I mean… I know you’re Emrys. Everyone knows of your magic. You don’t have to serve Arthur anymore- he’s not even king now.”

Merlin snorted and Morgana frowned. She didn’t see what was so funny.

Quickly composing himself, Merlin leveled her with a sly smirk. “So that’s what’s been causing you to look like a forlorn damsel of late,” he chuckled.

Before she could level him with a glare, he continued on a more serious note, “Truth is, I just don’t want forget myself.”

She understood to some extent his intention, but his statement still confused her. “But you were not born a servant… You didn’t even come to Camelot with the intention to serve Arthur.”

Merlin huffed a laugh. It seemed he was taking quite the amusement from her misconception. “Well, I just don’t want to change. I’m not ashamed of being a servant. It helps keep me grounded and reminds me who it is that makes up the kingdom, and who it is I have to protect.”

His explanation was simple and deep, and very Merlin. Morgana smiled gently, seeing the open expression on his face as he spoke of taking care of the masses.

With a flick to his arm, she added a teasing lilt to her voice as she smirked, “Of course, this way you can also save my brother’s clumsy bum from getting hurt all the time- what with the amount of hours you spend in his company.”

Rolling his eyes despite the reddening of his ears, he flicked her lightly on the forehead, “That’s enough talking now, my lady. It’s time you returned to your lesson!”

She didn’t hide the laugh that bubbled in her chest. She had missed being able to laugh with him and share secrets and the simplicity of just asking his advice. Now, as things were slowly returning to being somewhat the same, it seemed the lady could have it once more.

xXx  
  


“I am so sorry, my lady. I wished to have come to you earlier.” It was evening, sometime after sundown when the queen finally came to Morgana’s chambers.

The former princess had herself only just retreated to her chambers not too long ago and had shadows under her eyes to rival the queen’s. She remained seated at her vanity, though she lowered the hairbrush and smiled at Gwen through the mirror.

“Please don’t apologize,” she let go of the brush as Gwen’s hand closed around it, letting her eyes fall shut as the familiar fingers carded through her hair. “How was your day, your majesty?”

It took great effort for her to pry her eyes open when Gwen was brushing her hair- something the queen still insisted on doing whenever she could. Morgana for her part would never tire of feeling the woman’s hands on her, or to see the way Gwen’s face relaxed, all creases of worry melting away when she did the familiar act.

Today, however, the queen didn’t look relaxed, and the expression brought a frown to Morgana’s lips. She gently took Gwen’s hands away and stood up to face her, cupping her hand under her chin. “Gwen, what’s wrong? Did the meetings not go as planned?”

Gwen sighed, and placed the brush on the vanity before closing her eyes and leaning into her touch. “Not exactly,” she answered, simple and honest.

Morgana hummed thoughtfully as she got to work removing Gwen’s crown and the pins from her hair. “So, who’s visiting, and how much time does Camelot have to prepare for their arrival?”

When Gwen opened her eyes, Morgana was happy to see a hint of mirth shining in them and smiled shyly at the almost smirk the queen was aiming at her.

“My lady,” Gwen teased, “you’ve taken to listening to castle gossip, I see.”

Morgana rolled her eyes despite the light blush heating her cheeks, remembering ironically that very morning when Merlin had been in her place. “Well, your majesty, a girl cannot help it if castle staff are urgently discussing surprise feast plans in front of her,” she said, aiming for haughtiness but knew the effect was worn off by her blush.

Gwen chuckled heartily, and Morgana felt her face getting warmer, and not because she was embarrassed. Her queen looked radiant when she laughed, and the witch was glad to see the woman look so relaxed for the first time that day.

Seeing her heated face, Gwen pulled the other into a hug, arms wrapping around her slender form and rested her head against her chest, smiling when Morgana immediately brought her arms around her. “No, you’re right my love. I should have told you myself. And sooner.”

When Morgana simply hummed and started carding her fingers through her hair, Gwen continued. “It’s the king from the south. Him and his entourage reach Camelot tomorrow.”

 _Oh_ , thought Morgana eloquently. It seemed someone was eager to sink their claws into Camelot. As she held her tired queen in her arms and led her to the bed, Morgana scoffed at the audacity. _Let them come_ , she thought. If that damn king thought he could find fault or weakness in Camelot simply because it was being ruled by a single queen, then let him try his best! It was time the world saw Gwen for who she was anyway- she'd practically ruled single-handedly even during the time Arthur was king anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> please please leave a comment <3  
> i became inspired for this and am very excited to get to the scene that brought this au


End file.
